23:53 - Sunny PagliaccioNote to self: Do NOT open links on max volume in the middle of a quiet night. Otherwise, not bad. :D

23:52 - ApothecaryFast food workers planning a strike in support of $15/hour wages next month. I'm a tutor in a reading lab at a college and I don't even make that much, a bit of an overestimation of one's importance, don'tcha think?

I'm not sure why I am reviewing a Valient Thorr album. Don't get me wrong, I dig them and their straight-forward rock and roll rebellion meets metal style. The problem stems from the fact I've seen them live. Seeing them live is akin to watching a pride of lions terrorize the savanna, whereas attempting to capture all their frenetic energy into a studio is like watching those same lions at the local zoo. Both the zoo-lions and studio tracks are still powerful, awesome, and could conceivably tear you to pieces, but both still find themselves lacking when comparing that scenario against the band/pride where they belong … in the wild.

Even still, it is easy to pop this on and imagine what it will sound like when Valient Himself is hopping around in his rad, red wrestling boots and the rest of the Thorriors are tearing it up on stage.

The approach is the same as Immortalizer - rock meets metal, loads of energy, upbeat music, lots of harmonized guitars, and, of course, solos. They rock. No. Scratch that. They RAWK. Valient's lyrical approach (Valient referencing Himself, not Thorr) is amusing. The songs are about journeying to the desert to gain wisdom, or awaking from the "slumber" of modern life to find something more underneath. It's like almost some hippie religious revival - only without hippies or religion.

There are three levels of songs on Stranger - the good, the awesome, and the filler. The bulk of the tracks on this release are a good time and, thus, fit in the good category. They are enjoyable. You will shake yer booty and raise the horns. There are also a couple "filler" tracks, those that are just not quite up to snuff.

And then there are the awesome tracks. Those special tracks when the band is on, synched up, and totally feeling it, as in "Sleeper Awakes" or "Habituary." These tracks can best be described as an ubertaco covered with mega cheese and Awesome Sauce (pat pending). Or perhaps they can also be described as "kick-down-the-poser-neighbor's-wall-and-impale-him-with-a-mic-stand" awesome, as seen here.

In the end, I am enjoying the disk, but not nearly as much as I will be enjoying watching the band kick out the jams when they are playing with Clutch and Motörhead in a few weeks.

Frankly, if you like the kind of rock/metal that would fit the background of that awesome party where everyone gets drunk, everyone gets laid, and the cops arrive - not to arrest partygoers, but to deliver more beer, they are worth checking out. And if you remotely like what you hear on your stereo (or computer), you definitely need to see them live.